Tameria Greene, provided by a family spokesman. She is an 8 year old Detroit girl who was allegedly stabbed by her mother on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 in her apartment in Detroit.

Written by

Carol Goss

Detroit Free Press guest writer

Carol Goss / Detroit Free Press

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A little girl, only 8 years old, stood in her kitchen in the dark of the night, making herself a sandwich.

What happened next is still under investigation. Whatís clear is that Tameria Green was killed, stabbed to death with a knife to her heart. Soon after, her mother was arrested and charged with her murder.

Multiple investigations have followed that December night. Theyíve uncovered that this wasnít the first incident of abuse in her home. There were other reports of Child Protective Services interventions, including a recommendation that she be removed from the home. A juvenile court referee didnít make the removal request, after a hearing that lasted only 13 minutes ó and included a four-minute phone break.

When I first heard this story almost a year ago, it troubled me greatly. Iíve spent my career working on behalf of vulnerable children. My focus for more than a decade has been on children in Detroit, where Tameria lived and died.

Stories like Tameriaís are saddening and shocking. As a resident of Detroit, and as a child advocate, I find them absolutely unacceptable.

Recently, the Michigan Human Services Department released a report showing improvements in the stateís child welfare system, which has been under court-ordered reform for five years. The report found staff members are being better trained, more adoptions are being finalized, and more workers are taking on reasonably sized case loads. All good signs of improvement.

But in my long career, I simply have not seen enough improvement in child welfare in our community. There are still too many Tamerias falling through the cracks.

On Monday, the Skillman Foundation is convening a forum called Neighborhoods of Hope: Wayne County. Itís a collaboration with Casey Family Programs and the Michigan Department of Human Services. I wanted to hold this forum for a few reasons. Iím retiring at the end of this year. I leave proud of much work that has improved outcomes, but with a continued sense of urgency for the children of Detroit. There are two things that must happen, and happen soon, to make our children safer.

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One, we must continue to keep the child welfare system moving in a positive direction. We must ensure that cases move with urgency through the different layers of governance, that case workers have the time and resources needed to handle their case loads, and that different agencies that impact children are speaking to one another. We need our systems to be absolutely airtight.

Secondly, I urge residents who are engaged in making Detroit a better place to consider what they can do to protect and mentor vulnerable families. We hear frequently of residents staging neighborhood cleanups or organizing safety patrols or coordinating block clubs. There are all perfectly valid and needed efforts.

But no matter how perfect our welfare systems become, they will always rely on the community doing its part to be supportive to vulnerable families and children, to negate neglect before it happens. I see an opportunity and need for the community to be engaged in a different way. The same people tearing down homes could mentor a family, and the results will be life-changing to our communities.

Recently, I returned to my childhood home on Detroitís west side to take a few photos. A neighbor came out and reminisced about how my mother used to come over and teach her how to do laundry, how to breastfeed, how to cook and how to parent. She expressed her deep gratitude, still evident years later.

Building a community where child abuse and neglect are intolerable and where families are supported is a responsibility we all share. We each have a role to play.

We need more residents willing to be like my mother ó to step in willingly to help build other families. We need people to speak up when they see neglect. As citizens, we must continue to demand better from the systems in place to protect children, and the dedicated workers who make up that system must be tireless and humble in their pursuit of better results.

These arenít small orders, but real change doesnít come from small asks. One Tameria Greene is too many.